The Shortest Month
by FaithinBones
Summary: This is a collection of stories for the February Bonesology Challenge for 2019.
1. Chapter 1

These stores are part of the Bonesology Challenge for February. I plan to write these chapters as drabbles. (Maybe long drabbles). The theme is February holidays and relationships (romantic, friends, parental or hero and villain.)

Theme today: Groundhog Day (February 2)

I don't own Bones as you all know.

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Taking giant steps in the snow, Booth slowly made his way towards the crime scene with Brennan following behind him. She appreciated that he was breaking the path for her since she was carrying her crime scene kit. Of course, he had offered to carry the kit, but she had thought it was more practical for him to break the path in the snow and let her carry the kit.

"I thought the State Police had already built a trail to the crime scene." Brennan was cold and she knew that she was going to get colder before she could return to the SUV.

"They did, but it snowed last night and dumped more snow on the area." Spying a blue tent up ahead, Booth tried to pick up his pace. "At least they set up a tent over the crime scene before the snow storm came." Huffing, Booth continued to push through the snow as he waved at the State Policemen drinking a cup of coffee outside the tent. "I think we beat Cam and the techs here."

Struggling to keep her steps consistently in Booth's boot prints, Brennan paused for a moment to catch her breath. "Since West Virginia's annual snow fall happens to be 30 inches, I find it ridiculous that it snowed enough in the last two days to deposit a foot of snow. We should have brought snow shoes . . . I recommend that we keep two pairs in the trunk of your truck in the winter time."

His legs cold where the snow was clinging to his pants legs, Booth stopped near the tent and brushed off as much of the snow as he could. "Sure, we might have room along with the two gym bags of clothes we carry, the case of water, the extra bag with clothes for the kids, a plastic container of toys and snacks, plus bullet proof vests, ammo for my gun and other shit I forget is back there."

Emulating Booth, Brennan paused to brush off the snow from the legs of her coveralls before she entered the tent. "Yes, I see your point." Glancing at the surrounding woods, Brennan shook her head. "How did they find a body out here? It seems like a remote area and the ground is completely covered in snow."

Since he knew the answer, State Trooper Blackburn turned to answer Brennan. "One of the locals knows there's a ground hog that has a den around here. He wanted to observe the animal two days ago to see if there is going to be six more weeks of winter. It was Ground Hog Day and he doesn't trust Punxsutawney Phil since that groundhog is a Pennsylvanian. He found the body by stepping on it."

"It doesn't matter what he observes a ground hog doing, Spring is in six weeks." Grumbling, Brennan entered the tent leaving her partner behind.

Booth patted the policeman on the shoulder. "She's right you know."

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	2. Chapter 2

Theme: Lincoln's Birthday (February 12)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Christine had been quiet during dinner and Booth was growing concerned. After dinner, he found his daughter in her bedroom, sitting at her desk with her head lying on a history book. "What's wrong, Christine?"

Not sure if she should even mention her problem, Christine sighed, sat up and turned to look at her father. "John Wilkes Booth killed President Lincoln at Ford's Theater."

Suddenly taken back to his own childhood, Booth knew exactly why his daughter was acting so strangely. Moving over to her bed, he sat down facing his daughter. "Yes, he did."

"I asked Parker if we're related to John Wilkes Booth and he said we are." Christine was so sad she couldn't prevent a tear from falling down her cheek. "I'm so ashamed, Dad. I don't want to be related to John Wilkes Booth."

He knew the pain his daughter felt, but he needed to help her as much as possible. He didn't want her to be ashamed of being a Booth. "Look . . . there are evil people in the world who do evil things, but evil isn't hereditary. Your Mom told me that once and she's right. Something a distant relative did doesn't stain our honor or make us evil. Only we can do that to ourselves. Do you understand?"

"I guess." Christine thought her father was probably right, but it was hard to be related to a murderer especially a man who murdered Abraham Lincoln. "It's just . . . I don't want people to know I'm related to that guy. It's embarrassing."

He knew how to fix the problem or at least ease some of her pain. "Honey wait here. I have something to show you." Leaving the room, he hurried down the hallway to his bedroom, rummaged in the closet and returned to his daughter's bedroom. "Angela gave me this a few years ago. It's a newspaper article about Edwin Thomas Booth, John Wilkes Booth's brother. In 1864, Edwin saved Robert Todd Lincoln's life. You can read about it here . . . Not only are you related to the man that killed Abraham Lincoln, but you're also related to the man who save Abraham's son. Fate is a strange thing, Sweetheart and history is very confusing. Everyone has both good and bad people in their family tree. They may not know about it but they're there."

As she read the newspaper article, Booth could see his daughter nod her head in understanding. "Your great-grandfather served in the Army during World War II and Korea, your grandfather served in the Air Force during Vietnam and I served in the Army too. The Booth's have a lot of men and women to be proud of, Honey. Don't let one bad apple on our family tree spoil the tree."

Standing in the doorway watching her husband struggling to assure their daughter, Brennan decided it was time to help their daughter and entered the room carrying a picture frame. "Christine, I have something to show you too. I made it for your father a few years ago." Moving closer to her child, Brennan handed the frame to the child.

"It's a bunch of pennies." Puzzled, Christine shook her head. "I don't understand."

"The penny in the center of the frame was minted in 1865, the year that President Lincoln was killed." Brennan moved around her child, so she could point at the pennies. "The pennies that circle that penny represent the year that your great-grandfather was born, your grandfather, your father and his brother Jared. The newer pennies were when you and your brother were born. This is meant to show you just how long ago President Lincoln died and how much distance in time there is between his death and the births of our family members. I didn't include your great-grandmother and grandmother since they are not Booths by blood. They belong to a different family tree. This is just to show that the Booth's born since President Lincolns' death had nothing to do with it. Your father was born 106 years after the President's death. Do you see what I am trying to tell you?"

Grateful that her parents had shown her such kindness after suffering though a miserable day, Christine sniffed then smiled. "Thank you Mom and Dad. I'm still not happy that we're related to that guy, but I guess that's alright. I have people to be proud of too in my family."

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A/N: if you are interested in this topic, I have written a story in the past that covered Booth's discovery that he was related to John Wilkes Booth. The story is titled 'Related to Him?'.


	3. Chapter 3

(Season 10)

Valentine's Day (February 14)

A/N: Okay, I know I said these are going to be drabbles, but it looks like I'm a little too wordy for my own good.

I don't own Bones.

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Brennan believed that Valentine's Day wasn't a proper holiday and she and her husband rarely acknowledged that it existed. They had agreed several years ago that the holiday was just a way for greeting card companies and candy companies to sell more products and they had never changed their minds until now. Brennan had recently had a sudden change of heart and she knew that it was because she had almost lost Booth and she wanted him to understand how much she loved him.

Since Booth still disliked Valentine's Day, Brennan wasn't sure what to do about the situation. After carefully thinking about it, she decided to plot how she should handle the situation as if she was writing a scene in one of her novels. After editing her plan several times, she decided that her plan was suitable or as suitable as she could make it. Her plan was simple, but she knew that sometimes simple was best.

Valentine's Day came and Brennan started the day by awakening Christine. Once the child was awake, Brennan handed her daughter a red Valentine's Day card. Brennan kissed her child and smiled a bright smile. "Happy Valentine's Day Sweetheart." Even though she and Booth never exchanged gifts on this particular holiday, Brennan had learned that her child didn't understand that the holiday was artificial and she wanted a card from her loved ones on this particular day.

Excited, Christine opened her card and laughed. Inside there was a picture of two kittens touching noses and the little girl thought it was adorable. "Thank you Mommy." Racing over to her closet, the child removed two envelopes from a shelf and raced back over to her mother. Handing her one of the envelopes decorated with tiny hearts, Christine held the other once against her chest. "Uncle Aubrey helped me make these. Happy Valentine's Day Mommy."

"Thank you, Sweetheart. It's lovely." Once the envelope was open, she found a card with lace glued around it in a rather haphazard manner with a lot of glitter liberally sprinkled over everything. There was so much glitter that the card glistened under the overheard light. Of course, every time she moved it, glitter sprinkled on the floor, but that didn't matter. Brennan owned a good vacuum cleaner. "Go give Daddy his card."

Eager to give her father his gift, Christine ran from the room, leaving a little glitter trail down the hallway to the kitchen where she found her father preparing to make pancakes. "Happy Valentine's Day, Daddy."

Surprised, Booth leaned over, kissed his daughter's cheek and took the card. He had forgot that the day was a special day to some people and he would not ruin his child's fun. "Thank you, Pumpkin." He opened it and glitter spilled to the floor while he read the message. _To the greatest Dad in the world._ "This is very pretty, Christine." He walked over to the fridge and using a magnet stuck it on the front. "There, whenever I open the refrigerator I'll see my beautiful card."

Brennan joined her little family in the kitchen and added her card to the fridge too. "Daddy is making you heart shaped pancakes today."

He hadn't planned on doing that, but Booth took the hint. His daughter deserved to have a happy day and he would make sure she had one. "I sure am . . . I'm also going to add whipped cream on top of them because who doesn't like whipped cream?" He glanced at Brennan and winked at her. He knew she didn't like it on her pancakes, but sometimes they had to make sacrifices.

Resigned to having her pancakes a little too sweet, Brennan gave her husband a crooked smile. "Yes, we all get whipped cream because it's a special day, isn't that right, Daddy?"

"Yeah, sure." Since he had forgot what day it was, Booth knew he'd have to go to the store at lunch time and buy his little girl something for the holiday. She had been through a lot this last year including losing her Uncle Sweets and he wanted to make a good memory for her. She needed to see that everything was fine. Everything had to be fine.

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Booth had gone to a jewelry store that he did occasional business with and found a necklace with a little silver heart that he knew would be appropriate for his daughter. While he was waiting for the necklace to be boxed and wrapped, he looked at the offerings in various cases around the room and noticed a small crystal tiger. It was cleverly done and Booth couldn't help but think of his wife and the fact that she reminded him of a tiger. She was beautiful and rare and she belonged to him. Of course, he knew that she would hate that last sentiment, but it was how he felt. She meant so much to him.

Somehow, she had found a way to get him out of prison and even though he had been furious that she had risked her freedom to do it, he had grown to accept that if she hadn't found a way to get him released he would have been murdered. The beatings he had received had started to intensify and he had known that his days were numbered. Brennan had come through for him and he would never forget that.

When the boxed necklace was handed to him, Booth pointed to the tiger. "I want that too. I need it boxed and wrapped as well." He knew that Brennan didn't believe that Valentine's Day was a real holiday and he didn't either, but sometimes you have to bend your beliefs a little and go with it.

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Entering his office, Booth noticed a red helium balloon tied to a box resting on his desk. Not sure what was going on, he moved around the desk and placed his bag containing his two gifts to his family on the credenza behind him. Facing his desk, he stared at the box and noticed a paper with a pistol printed on it resting on the desk. Leaning over it he read what the paper said. _Happy St. Valentine's Massacre Day._ Not sure how he should react, he sat down and stared at the box. He wasn't sure why Brennan was giving him a present, but it did call back to a day in his life when he'd been miserable and Brennan had found a way to make him smile.

He knew that he had changed from the man he was before he had been attacked in his own home and he worried about that, but he found the world had turned into a very dangerous place that left him with little power to control his life. He wanted to be the man he was before everything had come crashing down, but it was a daily struggle to trust the world around him. It worried him that he might drive Brennan away because he was so untrusting, but he told her as often as he could that he loved her and he trusted her. He would always trust her if no one else.

His hand touched the box and pulled it closer. The balloon swayed and Booth decided to untie the balloon's string and let the balloon float to the ceiling. Sitting back against his chair, he stared at the box and wondered if Brennan was sending him a message. She was a blunt and straightforward person and he couldn't imagine her being subtle about anything. After a few minutes, he sighed and removed the wrapping paper from the box. Hesitating, he finally removed the lid, placed it on the desk and after a few more moments of hesitation he looked inside.

Inside, he found a silver framed picture of Hank Booth holding a five year old boy in his arms. They were standing behind a young boy that Booth recognized as himself. The picture had been taken right after his first communion. At age ten years old he was a little late for his first communion, but his father had stopped going to church right after his wife had run away and that meant his children hadn't attended church either. As soon as Hank took charge of his grandsons he had placed his oldest grandson in a Catholic school and after a lot of coaching, Booth had had his first communion.

That period in his life had been one of upheaval just as it was at the moment, but because his grandfather had loved him and cared for him, he had found God and the church and that gave him a lot of comfort. Booth hadn't attended church since he had almost been killed in the Mighty Hut, but the picture reminded him that he wasn't alone in the world. Like his grandfather, Brennan loved him as did Christine and Parker. His eyes moist, his throat feeling tight, he lifted the picture out of the box and stared in wonder at how youthful his grandfather looked. A tear falling down his cheek, he realized that he missed his grandfather so much. The old man had been the first person in the world to ever show him love and to show him that the world wasn't as cruel and desperate as it appeared to be while he had lived in Edwin Booth's house.

Pops had been kind and understanding while he'd raised his grandchildren and he had never raised his hand in anger towards either one of them. The man had raised two damaged boys and he had showed them that love was real and that they could live a life far removed from their father's house. Another tear fell and Booth let himself mourn for his grandfather. Hank Booth had died while his grandson was in prison and Booth had missed the funeral. He had been careful not to cry while he was in prison since that would be a sign of weakness, but now he knew it was time to cry for the man who had shown him compassion and who had saved his life.

Standing, he moved across the room, closed the door and closed the blinds. Once he was isolated he sat on the chair near the door and wept. He needed to mourn for Pops, for Sweets, for the loss of The Mighty Hut, for the things that had been done to him. He cried until he felt purged and he knew that he had needed the release. Brennan had found a way for him to let go of some of his anger and he loved her more than ever.

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He entered the house and found his little family in the kitchen. Brennan was preparing a stir fry dish and Christine was helping make a salad. After he kissed his daughter's cheek, he gave her a gift box and watched as the child squeal with delight when she saw the necklace. After Booth helped her place the necklace around her neck, she ran from the kitchen to her bedroom, so she could look at her necklace in the dresser mirror.

The child out of the room, Booth handed a gift box to Brennan. "Happy St. Valentine's Massacre Day."

Surprised, Brennan opened the box and found the glass tiger. A pleased smile on her lips, Brennan lifted it out and held it in her hand. "It's beautiful Booth."

Proud that he had chosen well, Booth stepped closer to his partner and kissed her. "Thank you, Bones. Thank you for rescuing me from prison, for keeping me from killing Sanderson, for standing by me while I've tried to find myself. You're the center and the center held. I love you Bones. I love you so much."

"We're the center, Booth." Brennan placed the tiger down on the counter and turned to face her husband. "We've always been the center of the circle. Nothing has changed."

It seemed that a weight had left his shoulders, at least for a while. He still wasn't the man that he had been and he wasn't sure if he ever would be, but he wasn't alone and he had so much to live for. "Well some things have changed, but yeah, we're the center and the center must hold."

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	4. Chapter 4

Theme today: Singles Awareness Day (February 15)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

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It was cold, foggy and drizzling and the crime scene was in a swampy area of woods. Slogging through the water-logged weeds, Aubrey grumbled as he made his way to where the body had been found. Moving between several drenched bushes, the leaves seemed to grab his clothes as he moved past them, making sure his rain coat was now peppered with wet dead leaves. Exasperated, the agent finally moved around an old oak tree and found Brennan, Cam and a few techs working on the crime scene. "Man, we're two miles from the nearest road. Someone really wanted this guy not found."

The body had been exposed to the elements for at least a week and animals had ravaged it before a hunter had found it. Picking up one of the detached arms, Cam shook her head. "A rabbit hunter had the misfortune of finding the body." Pointing at a man dressed in hunting gear and wearing a bright orange vest, Cam shook her head. "He threw up, but he used common sense and did it away from the crime scene."

His stomach rolling, Aubrey nodded his head. The body was in awful condition and he didn't blame the hunter for getting sick. "Thank God for small favors . . . Booth couldn't make it Dr. Brennan. Agent Michaels was shot while he was trying to stop a bank robbery and Booth is at the hospital."

"I understand." Brennan squatted next to a leg and checked the damage done to the limb. "Happy Singles Awareness Day."

Confused, Aubrey stared at Brennan and tried to figure out what was going on. "What do you mean? What's that supposed to mean?" He had broken up with Jessica the previous week and he was still trying to figure out what had gone wrong. Was Brennan trying to tell him something?

"Angela has been sending me text messages every morning for the last two weeks reminding me of the observations attached to each day. She says it is a courtesy to remember special days for certain people . . . those are her words. I personally don't see why I need to point out to someone that is not romantically attached to anyone that there is a day that had been set aside for them. I would think most single people would know that they are single."

Fighting valiantly to keep from rolling her eyes, Cam placed the detached arm in a plastic bag as she spoke to Brennan. "The day exists to remind people that you don't have to be in a relationship with someone and not feel love. Single people can be loved by friends and family. They don't need to feel like Valentine's Day was invented to annoy them."

Aubrey glanced at the hunter who was talking to a sheriff's deputy. "Look, I'm single, I get it. It's no big deal Dr. B. I've been single most of my life."

"Well, just remember that you're part of our family Aubrey and you are not alone." Brennan bagged the leg and stood up to stretch her lower back. "Booth told me several years ago that there is more than one type of family. You don't have to be related to someone to be part of their family. I consider Cam, Hodgins, Angela and you as part of my family. Now that my father is dead and my family size has diminished, I appreciate that I also have friends that I consider part of my life. I am not alone. None of you are alone. Do you understand? If you don't, I can get Booth to explain it to you. He is much better at explaining things like this than I am."

"No, Dr. B. I get it and . . . and thanks." Aubrey wiped some of the dead leaves from the arms of his rain coat. "I don't have any family except for my father and he can rot in hell. It's nice being part of your family. I appreciate that."

Squatting next to the body again, Brennan smiled at the agent. "You're welcome. It's also Susan B. Anthony Day if you're interested."

"Oh, I'm interested, Dr. B. I'm really interested." He hoped she wasn't going to educate him everyday about what day they were supposed to be celebrating. He thought he was doing good just knowing what day of the week it was.

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	5. Chapter 5

(After Season 12)

Theme today: Random Act of Kindness Day (February 17)

I don't own Bones. If I did there would have been a season 13.

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After checking in on a friend in Bethesda, Booth stopped at the Praline Bakery to buy some brownies and lemon bars for Brennan and the kids. Brennan loved that bakery and they stopped by whenever they were in the area. While he was there, he also bought some apple feuillette for his favorite prosecutor. He knew that she loved the pastries that were baked in New Orleans and he hoped the French pastry would be close enough to remind her of home.

Once he was in the District, he drove over to where Caroline worked and carried the box of pastries he had bought her to her office. Disappointed that she wasn't in her office, Booth left the box in the middle of her desk with a post-it note: _Enjoy, Booth._

As he turned to leave, Caroline came marching into her office. "What are you up to, Cher'? We don't have a meeting scheduled." She was in bad mood and she wasn't in the mood to listen to Booth if he was going to complain about the Mercer case again. She was a great prosecutor, but she couldn't win every case.

Pointing towards the box, Booth gave Caroline one of his high voltage charm smiles. "I was in Bethesda this morning and stopped at Praline Bakery."

Surprised, Caroline moved around her desk and opened the lid. "Cher', thank you. I've been hungry for something besides donuts for a week now, but I never seem to be near a bakery when I need it."

"Yeah, Bones loves their lemon bars and the kids love their brownies. While I was there, I decided to get you those things because I know you love them." Booth watched her take a bite from one of the pastries. "I know I've been hard on you about the Mercer case, but . . . well, you didn't lose the case because you did anything wrong. Mercer's lawyer pointed at Mercer's partner as the real suspect and the evidence wasn't as strong as it could have been. Doubt won that trial . . . anyway, the pastries are my way of saying that you did your job and I'm not going to complain about it anymore . . . Although if that ass breaks the law again, the next time I'll make sure I can give you iron clad evidence to take him down."

Swallowing the pastry, Caroline wiped her lips with the tip of her finger to remove a few flakes of crusty dough and smiled. "Your apology is accepted Cher'." Closing the lid on the box, Caroline sat down and moved the box to the edge of her desk. "I'll take the rest home. Keith and Marcellus are coming over to dinner tonight and they'll enjoy these for dessert."

Pleased that Caroline was pleased, Booth nodded his head. "It's Random Act of Kindness Day, so I think that's a great idea. Bye Cheri."

After Booth left her office, Caroline flipped the lid open and grabbed another pastry. "One more won't hurt and the boys don't need more than one."

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	6. Chapter 6

(After Season 12)

Theme: National Margarita Day (February 22)

I really don't own Bones.

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The Founding Fathers was busy for a Tuesday morning, but Booth didn't have any trouble finding his friend. Hodgins was sitting at one of the tables near the bar and apparently the situation was serious enough that his friend had what looked like an alcoholic beverage in his hand. Booth ordered a cup of coffee from the bartender, carried it over to Hodgins' table and sat down. "What's the emergency, Hodgins."

After he took a sip of his drink, Hodgins placed the glass down and sighed. "You won't probably consider it an emergency, but I do . . . You know I'm in charge of the Lab while Cam takes her sabbatical." He waited for Booth to nod his head and he continued. "Well, she ordered a lot of new equipment for the Lab before she left and then she handed the reins over to me. That includes the budget."

Growing impatient, Booth glanced at his watch. "Why am I here?" The Lab wasn't completely open yet and Booth understood why, but he did know that he had his own budget to worry about and he wasn't interested in the budget for the Lab.

Aware that Booth wanted him to hurry up, Hodgins sipped more of his drink and held the glass in his hand. "I need a piece of equipment and the damn thing isn't on Cam's list, but I need it . . . the problem is, if I buy it, I'll have to take the money from someone else's department and I don't want to do that, but I really want this piece of equipment . . . It sucks being in charge of the Lab. I never really realized what a pain in the ass I was always buying stuff and blowing up Cam's budget. Now that I'm in charge, I can see that other parts of the Lab have to pay for my equipment if it's not in the budget and they must really hate me."

"I can't give you any money from my budget." Booth still wasn't sure what Hodgins wanted him to do. "I work for the FBI and you don't, besides I had to fight like hell to get new bullet proof vests for my people this year. I can't help you with your problem."

"Oh no. I don't want any money from you." Hodgins placed the glass down and fiddled with the base of the glass. "I need you to tell me that I can't have the piece of equipment. I know you aren't my Boss, but I trust you and you're an honest guy. I need you to tell me that I need to wait until the next budget and get the equipment then."

After he stared at his friend for a few seconds, Booth shrugged his shoulders. "Don't be an ass, Hodgins. You can't have the equipment if it means you're going to screw someone else. You're the boss and you have to set an example."

Slowly nodding his head, Hodgins smiled at the agent. "Thanks. I needed a cool head to prevail."

Sipping from his cup of coffee, Booth pointed at Hodgins' drink. "What the hell is that?"

"It's a margarita." Hodgins sipped some of his drink and placed the drink down. "I was going to order some coffee, but the server told me that is was National Margarita Day and she said she's in a contest to see who can sell the most drinks today. The winner gets a gift card. I thought I'd help her out."

"It's eleven in the morning." Booth didn't mind a drink during the day as long as it was beer or a glass of wine, but hard alcohol at eleven in the morning? "Just remember it's not a good idea to drink and drive."

Snorting, Hodgins shook his head. "Yeah, I'll remember that. I'd hate to get a ticket while wheeling my chair back to the Lab . . . Is that a thing?"

"Probably." Booth moved his cup of coffee towards his friend and pointed at it. "With your luck it is."

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	7. Chapter 7

(After Season 10)

Theme: Rare Disease Day (February 28) Tissue Alert!

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

A knock on the door broke the silence in the house. Moving off his bed, Booth stood up and hissed as his feet felt the full weight of his body. He usually flexed his feet and toes before he stood up, but the knock on the door was unexpected and the late hour made it urgent. Hobbling down the hallway, he made it to the door and opened it to find his brother-in-law standing in the doorway. "Russ, it's one in the morning."

"I'm sorry. I know it's late, but I needed to talk to someone and it can't be Amy." Russ squeezed past Booth and faced him in the hallway. "Look, Amy took Hayley to see Dr. Goetz today and she was talking to him and Hayley interrupted them and asked the doctor how long she was going to live and . . . and Dr. Goetz said that the average cystic fibrosis patient lives to be 37 . . . 37 Booth. I'm going to outlive my kid. I . . . 37. I wanted to talk to Tempe about this and I couldn't do it on the phone and I didn't want to wait, so I need to talk to Tempe."

Brennan had heard the door knock and out of curiosity, she had moved to the doorway of her bedroom to see who was visiting so late. Once she saw that it was her brother, she walked down the hallway and stood next to her husband. "I heard Russ. Dr. Goetz is the leading expert for cystic fibrosis in the country. Surely he mentioned that 37 was just an average age and that some patients have lived into their 60's."

"But those are the exceptions to the rules. 37 is the average and she's going to suffer when she gets older. She's 18 years old now and she might be gone in 19 years." Russ didn't know what he thought his sister could do about the situation, but he wanted something done. Anything to help his daughter live longer than 19 more years. "Look, is there someone else we can see? Do you know of orphan drugs that she can be taking?"

"Did you ask Dr. Goetz?" Brennan was still sleepy, so she was having trouble remembering a news article she had read about a new drug being tested.

Russ rubbed the back of his head. "Amy said that Dr. Goetz has heard about something being tested right now, but he didn't know too much about it. I thought he's the best in the country, Tempe. That's what you said."

Booth didn't like the tone of Russ's voice at all. "Russ, Bones is not responsible for what Dr. Goetz knows and doesn't know." He felt Brennan's hand on his arm and stopped talking. He knew that Brennan would have plenty to say and they didn't need an argument in their house at one on the morning.

"I am sure that Leo is familiar with drugs that are being tested for cystic fibrosis. I know of at least one drug that is being tested right now, CTP-656. If I know about it, I can assure you that he knows about it and that is the drug he is talking about it. It is in phase 2 of testing right now, so he probably knows that it is being studied for dosage and safety. Only a few hundred patients are involved in phase 2. It isn't available to the general public at this time."

Deflated, Russ walked over to the couch in the living room, sat down and cried. While Brennan sat next to her brother, Booth walked into the kitchen and retrieved a bottle of water. He knew about orphan drugs because of his charity work and he hoped that phase 2 would be successful. He glanced at the calendar hanging on the cabinet near the fridge and noticed that Rare Disease Day was coming up. Maybe he could get some of his friends and co-workers to give to a charity dealing with rare diseases. He could see the pain that his brother-in-law was in and it made him sad that some diseases didn't have cures and may never have cures. He was blessed with two healthy children and if he had another child by Brennan, he prayed that child would be healthy too.

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.

A/N: this story takes place before Booth and Brennan find out they are going to be parents again.


	8. Chapter 8

(Season 12)

Theme: National Pizza Day (February 9)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

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Aubrey had been looking forward to this day for weeks. He had heard Angela talking about it to Hodgins at a crime scene and how they planned on having a pizza party. The thought of a day where he could celebrate pizza was just too good to be true.

Things had been a little rocky for him lately and he was single once more, but he was trying to take it in stride. After all, he had been alone with no one to care about him or love him since his mother had died. The few romantic entanglements he had been involved in had all failed and he wasn't quite sure why. He knew that he had trust issues and maybe that made him too guarded, but if it did he was doing that to protect himself. After all, besides his criminal father, there was no one else in the world that he was related to and that meant that no one cared if he was dead or alive.

Booth entered Aubrey's office and could see the man was thinking hard. Whatever he was thinking about must have been serious since that wrinkle in his forehead was definitely a sign of worry. "Hey Aubrey, I have a surprise for you."

"Me?" Aubrey pushed his maudlin thoughts to the back of his mind and stood up. "What kind of a surprise?"

"Sure Aubrey, I'm going to tell you what the surprise is." Rolling his eyes, Booth shook his head. "This is Angela's surprise and she'd raise hell for sure if I told you what it is. Just get your ass in gear and follow me."

Now he was intrigued. "I'm coming, Booth. Don't be so testy." Aubrey followed Booth out of his office, down the hallway to the stairwell near the elevator. "Where are we going?"

"If I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise. Don't you know how surprises work?" Booth was having fun and he hoped his younger friend had more questions that he could shoot down. This had been Angela's idea, but he saw the fun part of it right away.

"Of course, I know how surprises work, but I don't really care for surprises, alright?" Grumbling as he followed his friend down to the fourth floor, Aubrey was wondering what Booth and Angela were up to. _Okay, don't ask anymore questions. Booth is enjoying this too much._

Once they were on the fourth floor, Booth headed to the conference room with his friend following behind him. The glass walls were covered with blinds so no one could see inside, but there was a tantalizing aroma coming from the room which Aubrey picked up on right away. "Whoa, it can't be can it?"

Opening the conference room door, Booth walked in and moved to the side of the room letting Aubrey appreciate the display on the table unimpeded. "Oh my God." Aubrey felt bedazzled. The large conference table was covered with boxes of pizza. There were two pepperoni pizzas, two all meats pizzas, a vegetarian pizza, a Canadian bacon pizza with pineapple _(Who the hell eats that?),_ two sausage pizzas, a spinach pizza and last but not least, two bacon pizzas with cheddar cheese. "What's all this for?"

There was a small crowd of people from the Lab including Brennan, Cam, Angela and Hodgins gathered around the table and they all laughed. Angela walked over to where Aubrey was standing, hugged him and kissed his cheek. "This is Hodgins' and my way of thanking you for saving his life last year. We wanted to do it sooner, but we've all been so busy with crises after crises. This pizza party is for you."

Several Agents were now standing in the doorway. "Come on man, lets start eating." Agent Howard had helped set up the pizzas and he was hungry. "They have cake too."

His throat tight with emotion, Aubrey nodded his head, picked up a slice of bacon pizza and waved it around a bit. "Happy National Pizza Day and thanks for being here to help me celebrate." While the crowd cheered then grabbed paper plates and pizza slices, Aubrey chewed on his slice and realized that he might not be as alone in the world as he thought he was.

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	9. Chapter 9

(Season 10)

Theme: National Chili Day (February 28)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

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"I invited Aubrey over for dinner." Booth had just unloaded his grocery sacks and was putting the groceries away where they belonged. "You know he likes food. My God, I've never seen someone eat like he does."

Having just finished doing the laundry, Brennan was in the kitchen folding the clean clothes while Christine was napping. "That's fine. Are you still going to make chili?" Brennan had noticed that Booth was starting to tolerate the younger agent and the fact that he had invited him over for dinner was a good sign as far as Brennan was concerned. She worried that her husband was too isolated and she hoped that he could find a friend in Aubrey.

"Oh yeah. I mean it's National Chili Day. I'm going to make Pop's recipe and I'm going to make a meatless pot of chili for you." Booth pulled out a cutting board and starting chopping onions. "I hope he likes spicy because my chili is going to be very caliente." He didn't speak Spanish, that was obvious, but when he talked about his chili, he always said it was caliente.

"Well, he can always drink milk if it's too seasoned for his taste. Don't make mine as hot as you did the last time. My tongue felt fuzzy after I ate it." Brennan liked spicy food, but not so hot she couldn't taste anything.

Snorting, Booth nodded his head. "Got it, mild chili coming up."

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A little nervous about the invitation, Aubrey arrived on time with a bottle of wine in hand. "I wasn't sure what you're having for dinner, but I thought red wine would go with almost anything."

Placing the bottle on the counter, Booth moved back into the kitchen. "We're having chili. I usually drink beer with my chili, but you can drink wine if you want it." Pulling some bowls from the cabinet, Booth placed them on the counter near the stove. "I have two kinds of chili. Help yourself and join us at the table." Booth filled up a bowl of chili for him and one for his wife and carried them over to the table where Brennan was waiting.

Delighted to find chili on the menu, Aubrey stared at the contents of the pots and decided to use a spoon to taste some from each pot. The first chili tasted odd and Aubrey felt a sense of dread. Was Booth a horrible cook and would he have to eat an entire bowl of the stuff or not? Filled with a sense of foreboding, he tasted the chili in the second pot and found nirvana. Filling his bowl to the brim, he carried it over to the table and sat down. "You had me worried when I tasted the chili in that pot on the right. What is that? It isn't chili that's for sure."

Amused, Booth glanced at Brennan who was giving Aubrey a rather dark look. "It's tofu chili. Bones is a vegetarian."

Shuddering, Aubrey picked up his spoon and filled it with the good chili. "Warn a guy the next time." He spooned the chili in his mouth and sighed. "God, this is good."

"Yeah, it's my grandfather's recipe." Booth sipped some beer and watched as Aubrey almost inhaled his food. "You can have seconds."

His eyes twinkling, the younger agent nodded his head. "Thanks, I was counting on that."

"You may have some of the vegetarian chili too." Brennan watched as the agent continued to eat.

"Oh, um . . . thanks, but I'm allergic to tofu." There was no way he was going to eat any of that stuff. "Well, not allergic more of an intolerance." _Yeah, intolerance. Go with that._

Certain the man was not telling her the truth, Brennan let it slide. She had never been able to get Booth to eat tofu dishes and she assumed that Aubrey was a lost cause too.

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


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